Shoe-fastener.



'PATENTED APR. 14, 1908.

J. W. BARNA; SHOE FA-STENER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1907.

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JOSEPH W. BARNA, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHOE-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Application filed April 19, 1907. Serial No. 369,048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH W. BARNA, a

citizen of the United States. residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe- Fasteners, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in shoe-fasteners designed to be used to hold together the edges of shoetransverse section of the fastener on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

The fastener is made of sheet metal, preferably of a resilient character, and comrises two side members 6 and 7 integrally ]oined at one end by a web 8, the parts being of any suitable widths. As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, these side members normally are divergingly disposed and tend to separate. The side members are provided with hooks to be inserted into the eyelets of the shoeuppers; in the present case these hooks are not formed directly upon the side members, but each side member is provided with a wing 9 having tongues forming hooks. The side members and wings are formed to conform to the arch of the instep, and the ends of the side members are bent downwardly as at 10 where they join the wings so that the latter lie in a plane somewhat below their associated side members, all as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The tongues 11 project laterally from the wings, and are bent downwardly and then curved inwardly to form hooks 12, and are then curved outwardly and downwardly to rovide laterally extending portions 18. ile e'ach wing is shown as having but two tongues it is of course to be understood that more may be provided and, as in the present instance, these hooks together with the hooks 14 on the web are disposed so as to engage the first, third and fifth pairs of eyelets from the bottom of the shoe-upper, as shown in Fig. 1. The hooks on the web are formed similarly to the hooks 12.

The fastener being made of resilient metal the side members are drawn together and held in their closed position and prevented from springing apart by means of metal clip 15, the ends of which are bent to form suitable hooks 16 to'loosely engage the side members and slide thereon; the clip may also be provided with a suitable downwardly projecting lug 17 on its under side. Each wing is joined to its associated side member at the free end of the latter, and extends substantially parallel therewith at the side thereof being suitably separated therefrom to provide a passage for the free movement of the clip 15 in closing the side members, and being below the side pieces and resting on the shoe-upper they hold the side-pieces at sufficient elevation to provide space for the free movement of the clip and prevent the clip from scraping the upper.

The wings provide a plurality of hooks for each side member while they also leave the side members free of all obstructions for substantially their entire length, whereby the clips may engage directly with these members and slide freely from end to end thereof. The resiliency of the fastener resides wholly within the side members, and the clip when at the lower end as shown in Fig. 2 does not exert any closing tendency.

The lug 17 is designed to press against the tongue of the shoe while the clip is moved back and forth and thus prevent the edges of the clip from scraping against the shoeupper. The wings being in a plane lower than the side members and adapted to rest upon the sl1oe-upper sufficient space is allowed to also prevent the clip from scraping the uppers.

The fastener is preferably provided with means to engage the tongue of the associated shoe, and this engaging means may be of any suitable form. In the form shown one of the side members is provided at its upper end with an eye in an upstanding flange 18, and the other member is provided with a projection or lug 19 adapted to pass into the eye when the side members are closed as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. If desired a second projection may be employed either above or below the flange, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3. When the side members are to be closed the stock of the tongue of the shoe is brought between the cooperating parts so that the lug pushes the stock through the hole or eye and around the flange and holds it in place as shown in Fig. 1. This is especially desirable when lasting Blucher shoes, as it prevents the tongue from being drawn down when the upper is pulled over the last; the ankle-seam in these shoes does not extend into the vamp and so when the latter is pulled over the last the tongue is dragged down the center and the shape of the shoe is distorted. The cooperating means hold the stock of the tongue in place and prevents this distortion.

The application of my device may be briefly described as follows. The last having been placed within the shoe-upper the hooks are inserted into the proper eyelets, the tongue of the shoe is raised to be caught by the lug 19, and the side members are then drawn together and held in locked position by the clip. To remove the fastener the clip is slid to its open position near or against the web and the side members which have been held together under tension spring apart and resume their normal or divergingly disposed position, when the hooks may then be readily removed from the eyelets of the shoe-upper.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1.. A metal shoe fastener comprising a pair of divergingly disposed resilient side members, a web connecting the side members at one end, a parallel wing connected to each side member at its free end, eyelet engaging hooks on the wings and the web, and a clip sliding on the said members.

2. A shoe-fastener comprising a pair of divergingly disposed s ring side members, a web connecting the si e'members, a parallel wing connected to the free end of each side member and below the same, hooks onthe web and wings, and a clip sliding on the side members.

3. A shoe-fastener made from a single blank of sheet metal comprising a pair of resilient side members, a Web connectlng the side members, wings on the free ends of the side members, the wings and web provided with eyelet hooks, a cli sliding on the side members and having a ug de ending below the side members to engage t e tongue of a shoe.

4. A fastener for shoe-uppers consisting of a pair of connected side-members having eyelet-engaging means, means to retain the members in closed position, and means on the members to retain the tongue of the shoe.

5. A fastener for shoe-uppers consisting of a pair of connected side-members having eyelet-engaging means, means to retain the members in closed position, and cooperating parts on the members to retain the tongue of the shoe.

6. A fastener for the shoe-uppers consisting of a pair of connected side-members having eyelet engaging means, means to retain the members in closed position, an eye on one member and a cooperating lug on the other member to engage the tongue of the shoe when the members are closed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH W. BARNA.

\Vitnesses ELIZABETH MOLITOR, J. MoRoBERTs. 

